China: The 18th IHL Moot Court concludes in Guilin, CUPL claims victory for the sixth time

The China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) won the championship of the competition for the sixth time, with Jilin University and Shandong University, Weihai, earning the runners-up prizes. All three teams will advance to represent China in the 23rd Red Cross IHL Moot Court Competition for Asia-Pacific Region in 2025, co-organized by the Hong Kong Red Cross and the ICRC.

Tian Yihan from CUPL received dual honors as the Best Oralist in the Final Round and the Best Defence Counsel in the General Rounds, while Xu Huashi from Guangzhou University won the Best Prosecutor in the General Rounds.

This year’s competition set a new record, with 67 teams from universities across China registering to participate. Of these, 32 advanced to the oral rounds held in Guilin, where nearly 200 contestants demonstrated their legal excellence. The jury comprised approximately 60 domestic and international experts, including representatives from government agencies, military institutions, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and academia.

“Academics play a crucial role in advancing IHL by ensuring it is taught to current and future leaders, armed forces personnel, judges, lawyers, and humanitarian professionals,” said Balthasar Staehelin, head of the ICRC’s regional delegation for East Asia, in his closing remarks. “For this reason, the ICRC highly values partnerships with academic institutions as a critical means of promoting adherence to humanitarian principles.”

Liang Yu, Vice President of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), pointed out that China, as one of the first countries to accede to the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, has consistently supported the implementation of IHL. in 2007, China set up the National Committee on IHL, with its secretariat housed in the RCSC. He emphasized that against the backdrop of great changes unseen in a century and complex global developments and security situations, “the promotion, dissemination and implementation of IHL is more relevant than ever.”

Zhou Ya, Vice President of GUET, highlighted the competition’s significance for the university and its broader implications in today’s era. She emphasized, "As the 'frontline' for cultivating legal talent, universities bear the imperative duty to strengthen legal education and awareness among young people and promote the integration of law and technology."

International humanitarian law is a set of rules that seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons who are not or no longer participating in hostilities and imposes limits on the means and methods of warfare. This year's moot problem deals primarily with individual criminal responsibility under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court for intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population or objects and persons using the distinctive emblems.

Since 2007, the ICRC’s regional delegation for East Asia has organized the IHL moot court competition in collaboration with many leading universities in China, to help integrate IHL into college curriculum and develop students’ interest in humanitarian law.

List of Winners

The Winning Team: China University of Political Science and Law

The Runner-up Team: Jilin University

The Second Runner-up Team: Shandong University, Weihai

The fourth ranking team: Peking University

Best Mooters

The Best Oralist in the Final Round: TIAN Yihan, China University of Political Science and Law

The Best Prosecutor in the General Rounds: XU Huashi, Guangzhou University

The Best Defence Counsel in the General Rounds: TIAN Yihan, China University of Political Science and Law

The Next Best Prosecutor in the General Rounds: LIU Yujie, Jilin University

The Next Best Defence Counsel in the General Rounds: ZHU Ruixian, Shandong University, Weihai

Best Memorial

The Best Memorial (Prosecution): Shandong University of Finance and Economics

                                                           China University of Political Science and Law

The Best Memorial (Defence): East China University of Political Science and Law

The Next Best Memorial (Prosecution): Shandong University, Weihai

The Next Best Memorial (Defence): Shandong University

First Prize

China University of Political Science and Law

Jilin University

East China University of Political Science and Law

Shandong University, Weihai

Tongji University

Peking University

Shandong University

Beijing Foreign Studies University

Second prize

Guangzhou University

Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

China Foreign Affairs University

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Southwest University of Political Science & Law

Soochow University

Nankai University

Shanghai University of International Business and Economics

Sun Yat-sen University

Shenzhen University

Third prize

Ningbo University

Shandong University of Finance and Economics

Peking University School of Transnational Law

Nanjing University

Macau University of Science and Technology

Ocean University of China

University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Guilin University of Electronic Technology

Guangdong Ocean University

Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Tianjin Normal University

Jiangsu University

Yantai University

Guangxi Normal University